We use data from authoritative websites like Indeed.com, Payscale, and Glassdoor to conduct detailed research on front end vs back end developer salary. So, let’s dive into facts and comparisons!
A front-end and a back-end developer don’t get the same salary. Even two programmers with similar technologies do not have the same wages. A range of factors like experience and skillset determine how much programmers earn.
We will explore the average salaries of front-end and back-end developers based on different factors like expertise, experience, skillset, and location. You will also learn about the difference between a front-end developer’s and a back-end developer’s skills.
1. Who is a Front-end Developer?
1.1 The Role of Front-end Developers
Before diving into front end vs back end developer salary comparison, let’s look into the role of front-end developers, and how much they make on average.
Front-end development (or web development) deals with app and software user experience and interface. A front-end developer designs the layouts, visuals, and interactions of the user side of the app. As a result, the front end is responsible for building user experiences.
Whether you’re making a website, mobile app, software, or game, you will always need a front-end developer to visualize your ideas. With the help of a UX/UI and web designer, front-end developers will create that visualization with which your users will directly interact.
1.2 Basic Front End Development Skills?
Are front-end developers software engineers?
All front-end developers know how to use CSS and HTML. These are the foundations of web development for building the structure and style of any website or app.
Different programming languages are used for web development. Software engineers who are familiar with JavaScript frameworks are also in demand for building interactive experiences. But as the core JavaScript is not enough to create a fast and competitive website, some frameworks are more commonly used nowadays — AngularJS, ReactJS, BackboneJS, jQuery, and NodeJS.
A skilled front-end developer should also be experienced in AJAX, JSON, and Websocket.
Moreover, front-end developers should stay updated on the latest UX/UI design trends, as they collaborate with the designers directly to create the best user experience of the software, website, or mobile application.
2. How much does a front-end developer make in the US?
Entrepreneurs and startup owners constantly research the average front-end developer salary to understand the web development cost. According to Indeed, an average front-end developer earns $101K per year in the US. Additionally, every year they receive cash bonuses of $2,500 on average.
These numbers show what web developers earn for their work. Employers must also pay for benefits and allowances if they hire an in-house software developer. They will also have to provide resources like tools and desktops that cost money.
However, hiring freelance programmers or remote software developers will not require you to pay such extra benefits. But when you hire a software development team from an outsourcing agency, they will definitely offer higher costs because they include those additional expenses in their prices.
How much does a front end developer earn?
2.1 Front-End Developer Salary by Experience
You will need to pay higher salaries if you want to hire experienced senior front-end developers. The average salary of the software developer always depends on the engineer’s skillset, experience, career path, and job title. Let’s take a look at the average front-end developer salary based on their experience:
- An entry-level programmer with experience of less than a year earns an average salary of $59,747 per year.
- A front-end developer with 1-4-years’ experience earns an average salary of $100,958 annually.
- Senior web developers with experience of 5 to 9 years get $130,000 per year on average.
- On average, front-end web developers with more than 10 years of experience earn $147,109 annually.
The above data has been compiled from Indeed, and remember, it is only the average salary of a web developer, without additional expenses.
2.2 Front-End Developer Average Salary by Location
You will also notice a difference in average salaries as you shift locations within the US. Software engineers in some areas like California, Salt Lake city, and San Francisco earn more than the programmers in other locations.
According to Indeed.com, the average salary in New York, NY is lower by $15,840 per year than in California.
Here are the average salaries you will need to pay to web developers per year across the US:
- Salt Lake City – $144, 874
- San Francisco – $139,595
- California – $134,293
- Atlanta – $131,224
- Los Angeles – $120,104
- Denver – $119,436
- New York – $118,453
- Austin – $111,184
- Chicago – $104,950
The USA has some of the highest salaries for front-end developers. In comparison, if you decide to outsource front-end web development or web design, you have more options to choose from. You can hire software engineers with the same or better quality, and the same programming language skillset, but at lower prices.
2.3 What Front-End Developer skills demand a high salary?
Is front-end development in demand?
Software engineers with specific skills and technology expertise are more in demand. Depending on the technologies and programming languages that are commonly used, the number of developers that can be in demand, and some skills can be paid higher. According to Indeed.com:
- Front-end developers with a grasp on Amazon Web Services (AWS) get over 13.46% more than their counterparts.
- Knowledge of machine learning increases web developers’ average salary by at least 17%, while familiarity with continuous integration boosts earnings by 13.54%.
- Additionally, software engineers who understand data structures get 11% more salary. The ability to work with enterprise software also increases salaries by 17.82%.
- Natural language processing is also a high-paying skill, increasing front-end developer salaries by 21.7%.
3. Who is a Back-end Developer?
3.1 The Role of Back-end Developers
Back-end developers work on the server side of software and apps. They write code that helps apps exchange information with the database. Back-end programmers work with server logic, integration, APIs, and several other back-of-the-screen processes.
Additionally, they incorporate what front-end developers do with the client side.
3.2 Basic Skills for Back-End Development?
Back-end developers know one or two programming languages to build servers, apps, and databases. The programming languages, like Python, C#, or Ruby on Rails, also help them to integrate the user end with the server-end of your application.
According to Stack Overflow, Java (40.2%) and C# (31.4%) are software developers’ most popular languages.
Additionally, back-end developers use database technologies for data structures, the most popular being Oracle and MySQL in 2022. Regarding managing servers, Linux, Microsoft IIS, and Apache are common technologies back-end developers use.
Working with APIs also pays off, as 66.5% of developers plan to expand the use of APIs in 2022. Popular technologies related to API are JSON and AJAX.
Moreover, it pays to have a basic understanding of front-end technologies like HTML and CSS. It helps back-end developers understand the process deeper from both the client and server sides.
However, no front-end web developer or back-end developer knows all the frameworks and technologies. Usually, employers do previous research and know what programming languages they prefer to be used for their web design and development and which technologies they want for back-end development.
Then, they look for a candidate with a matching technical skillset. So, you will not find any programmer who knows everything out there, as it’s pretty unrealistic. However a skilled developer can always pick up a new programming language or framework in less time than a junior programmer.
4. How much do back-end developers make in the US?
In comparison, the average salary of a back-end developer is higher than a front-end developer. According to Indeed.com, average back-end programmers in the US earn $114,969 yearly. Additionally, they get an average bonus of $4,000 per year.
Payscale quotes a lower salary for US developers at $86,236 per year. When we refer to Glassdoor, the average salary for back-end engineers in the US is $94,455. The lowest engineer salary you can expect is $59,000, while the highest is around $145,000.
But remember, you will need to pay additional benefits when hiring an in-house programmer. You will also need to provide resources like a desktop and tools for software development. Some of employers also cover health insurance and retirement plans.
You will not need to pay any allowances or benefits if you hire a remote software developer. However, you may need to pay the charges for using a freelance hiring platform. And if you hire programmers with an outsourcing agency, the cost will be higher, too.
4.1 Back-End Developer Salary by Experience
The salaries of back-end developers vary depending on their experience and job title – the same way they range regarding front-end web developers. Let’s explore how much you will need to pay a programmer based on their working experience and career path, according to Payscale:
- Entry-level back-end developers with less than 1-year experience get an average salary of $65,000 per year.
- Middle-back-end programmers with 1 to 4 years of experience earn $80,275 yearly.
- With an experience of 5 to 9 years, the senior back-end developer’s salary would be $95,000 annually.
Qualified engineers with solid experience and management skills can earn up to $130,000 per year (+bonuses).
4.2 Back-End Engineer Salary by Location
Back-end developer salaries vary highly based on where they are located. And if you hire lower-salary programmers from the country, you can save your costs.
If you are looking for a US developer, back-end developers in California earn 11% more than the national average, according to Indeed.com. Developers in Colorado make 10% more, while those in Washington get 5% more salary.
Here are the average salaries of back-end programmers across the US, as per Indeed.com:
- New York – $143,150
- Seattle – $134,435
- San Francisco – $165,982
- Chicago – $119,618
- Mountain View, California – $139,550
- Las Vegas – $102,853
- Boston – $141,413
- Washington – $126,846
- Dallas – $106,199
- Colorado – $132,886
Below are the salaries of back-end developers in leading outsourcing regions:
Outsourcing may be a cost-effective choice for US projects due to high salaries. You can save more and access global talent by hiring a remote programmer.
4.3 Is there a difference between Web Developer and Mobile Developer Salaries?
Website and mobile app development are two different projects with different processes and requirements. So, can mobile and web developers earn the same salaries?
Web developers from the US have an average salary of $73,601. Of course, it also depends on the experience and skills of the developers.
In comparison, a mobile developer can earn $118,768 in the US. The reason is, that sometimes mobile developers attend to both front-end and back-end responsibilities and demand higher pay.
4.4 What Back-End Developer skills demand a high salary?
Software developers who try to acquire the latest skills and demanding programming languages earn more than their colleagues. Back-end engineers can earn more by taking up the following skills, as reported by Indeed.com:
- Back-end developers with Extensible Stylesheet Language Transformations (XSLT) skills earn 51.06% more than average.
- Knowledge of Haskell can increase salaries by 19%.
- Familiarity with Go can help developers earn 10.35% more.
- Developers who know Scala get 9.85% more salary.
- Grasp over C and C++ increases salaries by 8.05%.
- Knowledge of Pig increases salaries by 34.86%.
- Developers who know Python can earn 6.11% more.
- Machine learning skills help a developer earn 13.08% more salary.
5. Front-End vs. Back-End Developer Salary
Who earns more front end or back end?
When you look for a developer for hire and consider the difference in developers’ salaries according to different hiring models, here is a table that can help you understand the average rates you’ll have to pay for freelance developers, and full-time contractors from outsourcing agencies, and in-house US engineers.
| Front-end developer | Back-end developer | |
| Freelancers on Upwork | $45/hour | $60/hour |
| Full-time contractors with InApps | $55/hour | $65/hour |
| In-house US developers | $60/hour | $75/hour |
It’s important to understand that the final cost mostly depends not on the developers’ rates but on the additional costs of each hiring model.
- When hiring freelancers on Upwork, employers pay a 3% commission for hire, and that’s the final price.
- When hiring contractors with a staff augmentation model with InApps, you’ll have to pay a commission for companies’ services, which is % of the developer’s monthly salary.
- When hiring in-house engineers, you may pay recruiters if you have any to help find the candidates, and then there is an extra cost which includes taxes, bonuses, non-financial benefits, office rent, and support. So, hiring in-house engineers is the most expensive option.
6. Front End vs Back End Developer Salary In Top Outsourcing Destinations
Here are the average salaries of front-end developers across different top outsourcing destinations, according to multiple sources, like Salary Expert, Payscale and Indeed.
6.1 Front End vs Back End Developer Salary in Eastern Europe
| Front-end | Back-end | |
| Poland | $65,410 | $68,385 |
| Belarus | $54,838 | $59,539 |
| Czech Republic | $34,806 | $36,709 |
| Ukraine | $57,240 | $58,335 |
In Poland, front-end developers’ compensation ranges around $65,000, while back-end developers earn $68,000. In comparison, Belarus pays their front-end and back-end developers around $10,000 less than in Poland. In the Czech Republic, mid-level Front-end developers receive $34,806, and the average salary for Back-end developers is $36,709. Meanwhile, in Ukraine, front-end developers earn approximately $57,000 on average, and Back-end developers make $58,000 annually.
6.2 Front End vs Back End Developer Salary in Asia
| Front-end | Back-end | |
| Vietnam | $43,242 | $46,495 |
| Philippines | $39,939 | $43,541 |
| India | $45,862 | $48,241 |
| Indonesia | $47,770 | $48,698 |
A mid-level front-end developer in Vietnam earns around $43,000 while a back-end developer makes $46,000. The Philippines pays their front-end developers close to $40,000 and back-end developers around $46,500. Meanwhile, in India, mid-level Front-end developers earn $45,000, while Back-end developers receive $48,000. Turning to Indonesia, Front-end developers have an average salary of $47,000, and Back-end developers earn $48,000.
*These statistics are collected from arc.dev.
7. Conclusion
Looking at the salary comparison between Front-end and Back-end developers, it’s pretty evident that Back-end specialists usually earn more than those working on the client-side aspects of projects. But it’s important to note that these numbers represent roughly the average base salary of mid-level front-end and back-end developers, not the accurate payment you’ll receive.
Front End vs Back End Developer Salary will vary based on factors, such as location, company, experience, chosen programming language/ framework, and the complexity of the product. Make sure you keep these factors in mind when considering your budget.
8. FAQs
8.1 Are Front-End Web Developers or Back-End Developers More in Demand?
Front-end development is referred to as the client-side instead of the back-end development, which works with the server-side of the application. The most common back-end programming languages include Java, Ruby, Python, PHP, .Net. The most popular front-end languages are HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
When front-end programmers help you build your user interface and all the interactive features, back-end developers will handle the server side of things and background processes by adding all functionality.
You will need both front-end and back-end developers to build your app or software, and it’s always about great teamwork. Or you can hire an experienced full-stack developer who can create front-end and back-end for your project.
But if we are talking about the software development market, there are 660 open vacancies for front-end developers in New York, and 631 developer jobs for back-end engineers, which means that both roles are in demand.
8.2 Does the front end or back end pay more?
Comparing back-end vs front-end developer salaries is essential when hiring the right talent for your software development needs. You may need to pay up to $155,761 yearly in salaries to your front-end developer.
Additionally, your pay will also include benefits and bonuses, expenses on hiring and onboarding processes, and different tools and equipment. The salary of a back-end developer may be as high as $165,000 annually in big US cities.
You can also consider full-stack development, which may be a more cost-effective solution. The salary of your developer will also vary based on their location and experience.
After learning all this data, you can compare and analyze different specialists and understand which engineers you want to hire and where to look for them.
Lastly, share your project and budget. InApps will find the matching candidates in 48 hours or less.
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